It’s been a long winter since last we saw major championship golf but, finally, it’s back. No, this time around we didn’t have any crazy rules violations, but we did see a final-round collapse, a back-to-back-to-back-to-back birdie finish, a charge by a legend, and a crazy chip-in on the last hole. We saw guys that we expected to go low falter, and we saw a few Masters rookies nearly pull out a victory. We almost saw a broomstick win a major, and we saw KJ Choi contend with a putter grip that is so big you could land an airplane on it.
The back nine at Augusta once again proved that while it’s tough and long, it can be had, and when someone (or a bunch of someones) puts on a late round charge, it’s as exciting as anything in golf.
Hello out there golf fans and welcome to another fact filled edition of Hittin’ the Links. How about the number that Kevin Na put up on the ninth hole at the Texas Open. Wow, I guess he should have listened to his caddy’s advice and hit his third from the tee box. Live and learn… though I bet we don’t see him hacking from the underbrush again anytime soon.
We all know that taking a divot is a good thing if it’s made in front of the ball, but even if it’s behind the ball, there is one result that is the same – dirt and sand caked on the face and in the grooves of your club. So unless you want the face of your club to look like a 5 year old kid went wild with 24-grit sandpaper after a single practice range session, after nearly every shot you’re walking back to your bag, wiping down the face with a towel, and possibly cleaning the grooves out. While you’re doing repeating this process, it doesn’t seem as if that much time is wasted, but think of how much more efficient your practice could be if you never had to go back to your bag to clean your clubs.
A year ago, Tiger Woods’ return to competitive golf set the stage for a remarkable Masters week. While Woods had the attention heading in (and played what turned out to be his best tournament of the year), his long-time rival Phil Mickelson stole the show. Consecutive eagles on Saturday. A rousing final round to capture his third green jacket. Little did we know it would be the high point of both golfers’ season.
Last night, Stewart Cink tweeted “The Masters is the SWAG season”, and that’s probably the understatement of the week. In the past 24 hours, details and pictures of loads of limited edition apparel and accessories have made their way out into the public’s eye and it looks like the goods this year is going to dwarf that of last year.